[Idiom] Backwards and in high heels

[jigneshbharati]

"We battled for a year and a half. Let me tell you, it was tough, because Hillary's tough. She was doing everything I was doing, but just like Ginger Rogers, backwards and in heels. Every time I thought I might have that race won, Hillary just came back stronger.

This is an excerpt from the article that I read on Rediff.com. What is the meaning of " backwards and in heels" ? Thanks in advance.

 

[JMurray]

not a teacher

This is a reference to the famous dancing partnership of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers who made a number of musical films together, principally in the 1930s.
The quote itself dates to 1982 and a newspaper cartoon called Frank and Ernest, created by Bob Thaves. It has been quoted many times since in various public situations, with the Barak Obama speech being a very recent and prominent example.
Here is the original 1982 cartoon.